Impossible
by AndreeaRaducan
Summary: A Christmas vacation in sunny Thailand turns into a total nightmare when two tectonic plates shift violently, deep in the Indian Ocean. ***Contains descriptions of emotional events. If you or your family were affected by the tsunami in 2004, please read at your own risk***
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Ok, here's the plan. Basically, I took the entire storyline of CM. Instead of it starting around 2005, it started around 1990. JJ and Will met in 1992, Henry was born in 1994. The year is 2004. Henry is 10._

_You know where I'm going._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing depicted in here except for original characters._

_**This story is dedicated to the thousands of people whose lives were lost in the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami that occurred on Boxing Day in 2004. It is also for those whose lives were greatly affected, whether they be survivors, or family members of those lost. The devastation was immense, and for those who survived, they are incredible people with incredible courage. For those who didn't, you will forever be remembered.**_

* * *

It was Boxing Day.

The weather was beautiful.

A warm, tropical sun shone down on the tiny Ocean View Resort in Khao Lak, a coastal strip in Phuket, Thailand. Away from the hustle and bustle of Phuket's center, the Christmas tourists were busy soaking up the sun, loving, laughing, and living.

Palm trees encapsulated the area between the three buildings of the Ocean View, providing privacy and serenity for the guests.

Children splashed and played in the large open pool area, laughing happily as they enjoyed the refreshing cool of the water.

Parents enjoyed the available sun lounges, either soaking up the sun, reading, or enjoying some downtime from stressful lives.

No-one had any idea that deep in the Indian Ocean, the India and Burma Plates had collided, causing a massive earthquake in Sumatra. No-one had any idea of what was to follow.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Short, yeah. If it's rushed, well...tsunami's don't hang around guys._

_Disclaimer: I don't own CM._

* * *

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?"

Jennifer 'JJ' Jareau smiled as her husband's flattery floated to her ears. Sighing as he rubbed sunscreen over her shoulders to protect her soft skin, she leaned into his touch.

"You tell me everyday"

William LaMontagne Jr. chuckled. "Do I now?"

JJ smiled, nodding as he moved from behind her. Leaning back against the sun lounge, she closed her eyes for just a second, hardly able to believe she was in such a beautiful place, with not a worry in the world over her job.

"I love you," JJ said softly. Will smiled, leaning down and giving his wife a quick kiss.

"I love you too"

"Dad, come play with me!" ten year old Henry yelled from the pool. He looked so much like his mother, with his blond hair, fair skin, and blue eyes that dazzled anyone.

Turning to nod at their son, Will turned back to his beautiful wife. "Duty calls. I gotta go"

JJ laughed, watching as he turned and approached the side of the pool, jumping in beside their son.

Christmas had been fun. Spending it with just the three of them in a warm, sunny place had been a stark contrast to all the cold Christmases they had celebrated in Washington D.C.

JJ and her colleague, Derek Morgan, had been the only ones who had opted to take some extra time off after Christmas. The rest of the team had chosen to work the four days between Boxing Day and New Year, take the long weekend off, and return to work full time for the beginning of the year.

"Wait, Dad, watch this!" Henry called from the edge of the pool.

"Will, I forgot my phone. I'm just going to grab it," JJ called to Will. Seeing him wave to tell her he'd heard, she pulled herself to her feet as Henry climbed out of the pool to repeat his trick.

A sudden rumbling reverberated through the pool area. Wondering if she was imagining things, JJ looked towards the rows of palm trees behind the pool huts and chalets. It seemed, however, that everyone else could hear it too.

Henry turned, his back to the pool as he too, looked towards the direction the noise was coming from. Will stood frozen in the pool, as did others around him.

JJ's eyes widened as some of the palm trees wavered, others toppling over completely. Something was drastically wrong, yet she couldn't figure out what it was.

A sudden whiff of salt water sent her mind reeling.

With no warning, like an explosion from a volcano, a huge wall of water flew up over the pool huts, sending people running towards the hotel. People were screaming, and the water was racing towards them.

"WILL!" JJ screamed, fear freezing her to the spot. She watched as Will, seemingly forgetting that Henry was there too, dove under the pool water.

Henry. He was frozen on the edge of the pool.

"HENRY!" JJ screamed, louder than before. Upon hearing his name, Henry turned, diving into the pool as the water raced over the top of it.

Cowering against a wooden partition, JJ held her head in her hands, squeezed her eyes tight, and took a deep breath as the water slammed into her.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Here's another chapter for you._

_Disclaimer: I don't own CM._

* * *

It was dark. The water was raging inland like a high speed jet, with the ferocity of cyclonic winds. Along the way, the wave had picked up numerous pieces of debris, bits of which kept slamming into JJ as she tried to fight to the surface.

Something hit the side of her head, her back, her leg. It hurt so much and she wanted to scream in pain, but she couldn't. Sharp pieces of metal, spindly plants, broken wood, all of the debris kept cutting into her, causing her so much pain, so much fear.

Gasping for air, she kicked upwards, breaking the surface and drawing in a deep, panicked breath. Fighting to stay above the water, she looked around frantically, throwing her arms around to keep herself above the surface.

Nothing was left. Trees, power poles, and floating piles of debris were all she could see. Even some of the stronger structures were teetering dangerously with the power of the water.

"HELP! Somebody!" she screamed, her fingers scrabbling against a passing pole as she tried to grab it. Tears were streaming down her face as she screamed, desperately wanting someone to hear her.

The water was pulling her down. Flailing arms were all that was keeping her above the surface. Others had climbed trees and were now perched at the top, screaming and crying for help.

She cried out in pain as something sharp cut into her chest. She couldn't see anything in the water. It was dark, and murky. There was no way of telling what was beneath her.

"HELP!"

Churning water, the roaring sound it made as it raged inland...it was a fear JJ had never experienced. And it was a sight and a sound that she already wanted to forget. She wanted to go home.

"Mom! Dad!"

JJ latched onto a nearby power pole as the voice rang out somewhere to her left. Clutching at it like a lifeline as the water sped past her, she listened out. There was no mistaking that voice.

"MOM!"

"Henry! Henry!" JJ called back desperately. She couldn't see him, but relief was flooding her system. Her baby boy was alive!

As her eyes darted over the endless swamp of water and trees, a familiar head of blonde hair floated out from behind a pile of floating rubbish.

"Henry!" JJ cried out, letting go of her lifeline and fighting her way through the current towards him. Something sliced into her foot, making her cry out, but she didn't stop. Spying a nearby mattress floating in the same direction, she headed for it.

"Henry, grab it! Grab the mattress!" she called, pulling herself through the water as the current dragged them further from the coast.

In record time, they were scrambling to get onto the mattress. JJ had her hand out to Henry, trying to hold onto him, trying to make sure he really was ok, but they couldn't quite reach each other.

"I wanna go home! I wanna go home," Henry was sobbing. "Mom, I'm scared"

And then Henry's foot snagged on something down below. Lightning fast, he was whipped off of the mattress and into the water.

"Henry!" JJ cried, letting go of the mattress and trying to fight against the roaring current to get back to him.

Henry was just staying up. But then he heard another roar.

Turning around, his eyes widened and he cried out in fear.

Another wave, more powerful than the last, rushing towards them.

"Mom! MOM! MOM!" Henry began to shriek, trying to get free of whatever had him ensnared.

"Go under! Henry, go under!" JJ shrieked as the water got closer.

The trees and structures that had remained standing after the first wave were no more. JJ watched in horror as the powerful foamy water swallowed up everything in its path, dragging trees and power poles down with it. A large white SUV that had been floating around completely disappeared into the wave.

Henry ducked below just as the white foam passed by him. Straightaway, something slammed into the side of his head as he was tossed through the currents like a ragdoll. Everything seemed to be flying past him, hitting him, cutting him, hurting him. Whatever was around his foot snapped free, allowing the wave to carry him forward again.

It was completely quiet. It was dark. No roaring sound of water.

Just managing to put his face up to the surface, he gasped for air, throwing his arms around to try and stay up.

Nearby was a huge concrete pole. Spotting it, he just managed to grab it as he passed it. Clutching at it, he looked around for his mom, fear and panic building even more than before. The water was threatening to drag him off again.

"Mom!" he yelled out, his voice catching as tears began to stream down his face. "MOM!"

He couldn't see her. His panic was rising.

"MOM! MOM!" he began to scream repeatedly.

And then he saw her.

She was exhausted. She was crying. JJ fought through the water to a nearby tree trunk that had fallen, looping her arms over it and barely hanging on. She looked back over her shoulder, relief flooding her face when she saw Henry.

Letting go of the concrete pole, Henry made his way over to his mom, crying as she wrapped one arm around him, holding him close and kissing the top of his head.

"Don't do that to me again, Mom. Don't ever leave me on my own again," he sobbed, clutching at her with his free arm.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry," JJ whispered, tears running down her cheeks as well. She so badly wanted to tell him it would all be ok. But she wasn't sure if it would.

"I wanna go home," Henry sobbed. "I don't like it here"

"I know, honey, I know," JJ said softly, giving him a squeeze and placing another kiss to his forehead.

Amongst the roaring waters, the devastation and the debris, they clung to the tree trunk for hours, their bodies battered, bleeding, and exhausted, with no guarantee of safety.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Ending's kinda weird._

_Disclaimer: I don't own CM._

* * *

Waking up at one in the morning to the sound of Sergio scratching her bedside table was not how Emily had wanted Boxing Day to start.

Sighing, she dragged herself out of bed, knowing she wouldn't get back to sleep soon, picked up her mischievous cat, and shuffled into the lounge room.

"Stay here, Serg," she mumbled, putting him down on the couch while she flicked on the TV, changing it to an early news station to create background noise. Leaving the lounge room again, she went into the kitchen to make a hot chocolate.

As she was heating the milk, something the newsreader was saying caught her attention.

"_Early yesterday evening, an earthquake occurred off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia, at 9:50am local Indonesian time. The earthquake measured at 9.0 on the Richter scale, and as of this moment, has already caused devastating tsunamis to hit Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, Thailand, and Burma-"_

Emily's eyes widened. Setting the mug down on the bench, she raced into the living room, her eyes fixating on the TV.

She watched as live footage from a coast guard helicopter in Indonesia moved across the screen, showing massive devastation and flooding from the tsunami.

Remembering JJ raving on about where they were staying on their holiday, she made a beeline for her laptop, flipping it up and opening her search engine.

'_khao lak tsunami'_

Results began flooding her screen. Clicking the first one, which had been updated an hour before, she scanned the first few lines.

'_Khao Lak, one of Thailand's popular beach resort communities, was hit hard two hours ago by the tsunami generated from the earthquake that occurred in Sumatra this morning. Three powerful waves almost literally washed the coastal area away-'_

Emily had to choke back a worried sob, knowing that they had been in a beach resort.

Grabbing her phone, she wondered who to call. She needed to tell someone that there was a possibility they'd lost a friend, a family member.

She couldn't call Garcia. She would be hysterical. Reid would probably still be awake, but Emily was unsure of how he would handle it. That left Hotch and Rossi. Both of them would handle it ok, but knowing there was nothing they could do from DC, she wondered if it was even worth bothering calling them at that hour.

Of course it was. Their friends were in danger.

Morgan.

He was in a different time zone.

Dialling his number, Emily waited for him to pick up, getting more worried with each ring.

"Hey princess. Why are you calling so early?"

She tried to hide her worry. "Derek, did you hear about the tsunami that just hit most of South East Asia?"

"I heard little bits, but not a lot. Heard it was a big one"

"Yeah, uh...Derek, I think JJ, Will, and Henry were caught in it. I just had a look online, because I heard something on the news, which I was watching because I couldn't sleep-"

"Woah, Emily, calm down. Take a breath and slow down"

"I couldn't sleep. I got up to make a hot chocolate and turned on the news. It had something about the tsunami hitting Thailand. I did a search on Khao Lak, which is where they are staying. Apparently Khao Lak has been almost completely washed away, and they were staying on the beach"

"Holy shit"

Emily's panic began to slip through. "Derek, I'm so scared for them and I don't know what to do"

"Call Hotch. If something's happened to those three, he'll want to know about it. I've got a friend staying near Khao Lak, but inland. I'll call him and see if he can help us find out if JJ and Will are alright. Stay in touch, ok?"

With a soft yes, Emily hung up, dialling Hotch's number straightaway.

"Hello?" came his groggy voice from the end of the line.

"Hotch, sorry to call so early, but it's important"

"What's going on?" Hotch asked, sitting up; he could sense the tension in Emily's voice.

"A massive tsunami hit South East Asia a little while ago, and the place JJ and Will were staying in was almost washed away. I think they could be hurt, or worse...it could have killed them"

* * *

Wading through the reeds in the neck deep water, Henry stuck close behind his mom, not wanting to get separated from her.

The ground beneath his feet was sludgy and slimy, and the reeds were sticky, getting in the way as they pushed through the narrow gap.

Looking to his left, through a hole in the reeds, Henry stopped for a moment when he spotted the wet, bedraggled body of a little dog resting on top of some rubbish.

A rumbling in the distance made him snap around. To him, it sounded like another wave, but it quickly went quiet, leaving him a little less worried.

As he turned back and continued walking, the water was getting shallower. Soon, they were only walking in ankle deep water.

Both bruised, battered, and covered in blood, they pushed through the remaining reeds until they reached the end. Stepping out into a vast open piece of land, both Henry and JJ were shocked at what they saw.

The land had been completely stripped by the waves. It was covered in a muddy slush, littered with piles of plants, rubbish, cars, debris from houses and huts, trees, and light poles.

As they waded out into the open, Henry noticed that a trail of dark red blood was following his mom. Paling noticeably, he froze.

"Mom," he said softly, turning so he didn't have to look at her.

"What?" JJ asked quietly, looking over at her son.

"You're bleeding. I can't see you like this," he murmured.

"You go first," JJ said gently, pushing him in front of her.

Walking a little further, JJ right behind him, Henry spotted a large tree that would keep them safe if another wave came.

"Over there. We have to get up that tree. If another wave comes, we'll be dead"

JJ had quickly agreed. They had reached the tree easily, but the next obstacle was climbing it. Henry could make it up easily, but JJ, in her weakened, injured state, could barely pull herself off the ground.

Scooting down, Henry had mustered all his strength to help his mother climb to safety, before climbing up himself.

They sat in that tree, holding onto each other, waiting, just waiting, for help to arrive.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Short chapter. And for those who asked about Will, don't worry, I haven't forgotten he exists. Just go with the flow._

_Disclaimer: I don't own CM._

* * *

Night fell as mother and son sat huddled at the top of the tree. No more waves had come after the first three, giving them a shred of hope that the first part of their ordeal was over.

After Henry had slipped into a restless sleep, JJ sat watching the stars through a gap in the canopy above.

She had no idea where Will was. Her heart ached for him; she just wanted to know he was ok.

Tears slipped out and ran down her cheeks as she remembered the last kiss they had shared at the poolside before he ran to join Henry.

The water had reached both him and Henry in virtually the same place; the center of the pool. Why had they been separated?

Images of Will, broken and bleeding with no-one to help him, flashed into her mind, sending another cascade of tears down her cheeks.

They loved each other so much. When they had gotten married, they had sworn that nothing would ever come between them, that nothing was strong enough to break their connection.

Back then, they'd never imagined that a tsunami would be one of the things trying to break them apart.

"Mom?" Henry mumbled.

Wiping away her tears, JJ took a deep breath. "Yeah?" she replied, hoping to convince Henry that she hadn't been crying. She had to be strong for him. He was only ten.

"Don't cry"

Damn. Caught straight away. She swore her son was already a profiler.

"I'm scared too, Mom"

"I'm scared, Henry, but the thing that scares me the most is where your dad might be. We haven't seen him since the first wave hit the hotel...what if he's hurt? What if he's all on his own? He's probably scared too, but no-one's there to comfort him," JJ admitted, tears rolling down her cheeks again.

Reaching over, Henry took his mom's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before laying his head on her shoulder again. "Dad's really tough. Remember he got shot? And almost fell off a moving bus?"

JJ chuckled. "That's because he's a thrillseeker, honey. His aim in life is to scare me to death"

Henry laughed. "He does a pretty good job of it"

JJ had to laugh, the first sign of happiness she'd showed since the disaster. Then it fell silent again.

"I hope he's ok"

Henry wrapped his arms around his mother, snuggling in closer to her for comfort. "He'll be alright. He's my dad"


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Here you go!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own CM._

* * *

_The water around him was pitch black. Debris and wreckage from surrounding structures pounded into his battered body, causing him more pain than he thought he'd ever experience._

_Flailing desperately, he threw his arms around wildly to try and get to the surface. His lungs were on fire; he needed air now. The only separating him from that sweet oxygen was two metres of raging torrential water._

_Throwing his hand up again, he tried to pull himself to the surface. Just as he was about to sink back down again, someone grabbed his hand and with a tug that had to have taken a lot of strength, they had pulled him free of the water and up a staircase._

_Coughing violently as his lungs tried to expel the water he'd taken in, he managed to glance around as the water raged past them._

_He was in the hotel foyer._

* * *

"JJ!" Will yelled at the top of his lungs as he dragged himself along the deserted street. "HENRY!"

His body ached. His muscles burned. And yet, with each day that passed, he ignored the pained screams his body was giving him, pushing his limits, just to find the two he loved most.

In the back of his mind, a dark thought had begun to haunt him. What if the tsunami had taken them? What if they were dead?

"JENNIFER! HENRY!" he screamed again, the familiar tears beginning to pool in his eyes. He couldn't lose them.

As he turned the corner to walk back up along the pool area to the hotel, something caught his eye.

Amongst the debris and mess that had previously been the lush pool area, there was a pile of wreckage in the middle of the walkway, near an overturned boat, that had definitely been shifted by someone, arranged to create a small alcove.

Approaching it slowly, Will knelt down, gently lifting a palm frond that had been draped over the top.

He was amazed to find a small girl inside, no older than three.

The little girl cowered back, unsure of the intruder to her safe place. Her eyes, however, read that she was not scared...simply curious.

"Hello," Will said softly, waving slightly at her, not sure if she could speak English. He smiled when she waved hesitantly back at him.

"Hello," she whispered back, moving a little closer.

"Are you hurt?" Will asked gently, sitting down in front of her shelter. The little girl shook her head, confirming to Will that she understood English to some degree.

"What's your name?" he asked.

The little girl hesitated, brushing her messy black hair out of her eyes.

"Kalaika," she whispered.

"My name's Will," Will replied slowly. Kalaika smiled a little, visibly loosening up.

Will sat in front of Kalaika's shelter for nearly two hours, talking to her until well after the sun had set. He had gauged that for a girl who was about four years old and had never left Thailand, her English was very good.

When he got up to leave, Kalaika grabbed his hand, allowing him to lead her someplace else, not wanting to let go of her new protector.

Will wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

* * *

"_Hey! Hey! HEY! Over here! We're over here! We need help!" Henry yelled from the tree as he dropped down through the branches. Dropping into the knee deep water, he waved to the Thai locals that were wandering through the field, clearly looking for people to help._

Henry had almost been in tears as the Thai man carried JJ back to his community. Leading the way, he had cleared a path for the older man. He hadn't been able to shut out his mother's screams of pain; the man was barely bigger than her, and lifting her was not easy, especially in her weakened state. He'd been forced to half lift, half drag her to help, and it had resulted in agonising pain for the petite blonde.

Now, she lay on an old door, her eyes half closed as the Thai people covered her in blankets to keep her warm.

Kneeling down beside her, Henry held her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he brushed her matching blonde hair away from her face.

"Henry? Is that you?" she mumbled, her lips barely moving.

"Yeah, Mom. It's me. It's going to be ok," Henry replied softly. He wanted to reassure his mother that no more harm could come to them.

A phrase she had often used when he was little popped into his head.

Leaning down, he got closer to her ear before whispering a soft sentence to her.

"Close your eyes and think of something nice"

* * *

Spencer was wide eyed as they sat in the conference room, watching the news footage of the devastation in Thailand from the tsunami. The particular clip was of Khao Lak. Emily had explained that that was where JJ and Will were staying.

"No, this isn't a case. But three of our own have been unwilling victims of what they are saying as the deadliest natural disaster in history. There's not much we can do...but we can try as hard as we can to get JJ, Will, and Henry home safe," Hotch explained to the team.

"What's Strauss' opinion?" Morgan asked.

"She's put us on stand down until JJ, Will, and Henry are back in the United States. She doesn't want us working cases when our minds are focused on other things"

Spencer swallowed thickly. JJ was the older sister he'd never had as a child. She meant too much to him, to everyone in that room, for the tsunami to have taken her and her family.

* * *

Will had searched high and low for not only JJ and Henry, but also Kalaika's parents. After noticing that many of the locals knew her, he began to feel uneasy about the likelihood of her parents being somewhere around, especially because none had approached her to say they had seen her parents.

However, Kalaika was a very perceptive four year old. She was observant and clever, and didn't miss a beat.

"Will!" Kalaika yelled, running across the room and jumping into her new friend's arms.

"Hi there little monkey! What have you been doin'?" Will replied with a smile as he walked over to the mattress in the middle of the room.

The survivors that had managed to remain in the hotel after the waves hit had set up camp on the top two floors. Will had taken Kalaika into one of the rooms he was sharing with a family of four, where all five of them cared for her.

They sat in silence for a moment before Kalaika spoke up.

"I think mama and papa are gone," she said softly. Will looked down at her in surprise.

"No, Kalaika, we'll find them," he said assuringly.

"No. They'd have find me now," she replied simply. "Did you find your JJ?"

Will took a deep breath, his swollen ribs burning as he did. "Not yet. But I will. I will find her, Kalaika"


End file.
